394: The family is operating smoothly

"Honey Badger, I see you're still a bit unconvinced!" Liu Xuan laughed.

"Honey Badger?"

"Is Young Master Liu speaking to me?"

Yin Bi looked left and right, then pointed at himself and asked.

Liu Xuan nodded and explained, "In my hometown, 'Honey Badger' means brave and fearless. I think this name suits you very well."

"Brave and fearless... it truly does suit me," Yin Bi cupped his hands toward Liu Xuan. "Thank you for the praise, Young Master Liu!"

Liu Xuan smiled and waved his hand. "Xiao Changfeng of the Black Leopard Fortress is one of mine. We should cooperate well in the future."

"Certainly, certainly!"

"You are the honored guest of the Demon Lord Sect Master. If you need anything, just give the word. No need to be polite."

Liu Xuan cupped his hands in return, then flew off into the sky without further chatter... Great Sun City.

Liu Manor.

The Backyard.

"Husband~ where did you go? I missed you so much!"

"Husband~ can you take me with you next time you go out? I worry you won't be used to having no one to serve you."

"Husband~ I couldn't eat or sleep well while you were away. We can't be without you!"

"Husband~"

...As soon as Liu Xuan returned, he received a warm welcome from his wives and Concubines. He had only been away for half a month, yet the women in the backyard felt as if they had lost their pillar of support.

The backyard had its own System, evaluating the women's priority across multiple dimensions to queue for nighttime service. When Liu Xuan was home, even if it wasn't their turn, everyone had a sense of where they stood and worked hard to advance their own interests.

Previously, the System was only broken by special events or the addition of new sisters. This time, Liu Xuan had been gone for a full half-month without a word, and since they didn't know when he would return, they all felt varying degrees of crisis.

"Home is still the best!"

As beautiful as the Peach Blossom Demon Lord was, she was only one person. Quantity could make up for quality, and these wives and Concubines in the harem weren't bad either.

The key was that the emotional value provided by a flock of chirping wives and Concubines was something the Peach Blossom Demon Lord couldn't match alone. With hundreds of women in the harem, they studied Liu Xuan's moods and preferences, finding new ways to please and serve him. Even without leaving the house, the joys of life were different every day.

Unfortunately, passion is hard to sustain; the most affectionate often become the most indifferent. Aside from a few special women, many Concubines were only tender and sweet when they first met Liu Xuan; later, it would gradually turn into a purely transactional relationship.

Liu Xuan never expected every woman to fall wholeheartedly in love with him. What he wanted was possession; as long as these women couldn't leave him, that was enough.

False affection, yet still laboring to please and serve—gold-diggers, manipulative women, schemers—from another perspective, isn't that its own kind of fun?

"Alright! You've indeed been wronged by my long absence this time."

"Seeing as you kept everything in perfect order during the half-month I was away, I've decided to increase everyone's stipend by thirty percent."

"Thirty percent!"

"Husband, you're not joking?"

Xiao Ran, who had just returned from outside the city, hurried forward to ask.

Her expression was serious, and she didn't look as happy as most of the women; instead, she seemed somewhat worried.

The stipends Liu Xuan gave the women were already very high—exaggerated, even. To increase them by another thirty percent? No matter how much the Liu Family earned, they shouldn't squander it like this!

Liu Xuan smiled and pulled Xiao Ran into his arms. "Your stipend is increasing by thirty percent as well."

With the connection to Peach Blossom, the Liu Family wouldn't lack money in the short term. Converting it into strength as quickly as possible was the real priority.

Not only would the treatment of his wives and Concubines improve, but the children's treatment would also increase, and even the benefits across the entire Liu Clan Merchant Alliance would rise to a certain extent.

If he weren't worried about causing too much of a stir and attracting the Beast Taming Sect's attention, Liu Xuan would have wanted to double everyone's benefits directly.

"This matter is settled. Your husband keeps his word!"

"Long live Husband!"

"Husband, I love you!"

...Seeing that Liu Xuan wasn't joking, the crowd of women surrounded him with cheers. Happiness is infectious; seeing them so joyful, Liu Xuan also felt inexplicably relaxed.

After playing in the backyard for a while, Liu Xuan finally headed to the Artifact Refining Workshop and the Pill Refining Tower. For great sun flying boats of tier 2 medium grade and above, Liu Xuan had to personally smelt the key components. Having been gone for half a month, the Artifact Refining Workshop's warehouse was nearly full.

If Liu Xuan hadn't returned, the Artifact Refining Workshop would have suspended the high-grade great sun flying boat project to prioritize the refining of black crow flying boats and Yuan Magnetic Flying Boats.

The Pill Refining Tower was fine; Liu Xuan's presence didn't matter much there, though without his lectures, the progress of the Alchemists was a bit slower.

The Family's industrial chain was basically complete, and the Liu Clan Merchant Alliance had become a self-sustaining System. Eldest Son Dao Yuan was in charge of the City Lord's Manor, while the Fourth Son followed his Revered Master, Yun Xian, in managing Merchant Alliance affairs.

Family operations were becoming more refined. As long as no major accidents occurred, it wouldn't matter much if Liu Xuan disappeared for a while.

Liu Xuan spent two days completing all the Flying Boats in the Artifact Refining Workshop, then gave one-hour public lectures on Alchemy and Artifact Refining before settling into a relaxed life.

In truth, various issues, large and small, arose in the city and the Merchant Alliance. Xiao Ran, She Xiaorong, and the others would report various Family matters to Liu Xuan every day.

However, Liu Xuan only listened briefly to get the gist of things, leaving the specific solutions to the people in the Family—especially Dao Yuan, the Fourth Son, and Ling Hui. It was a good process for their development.

Except for major matters concerning the Family's development where he would offer a few thoughts and suggestions, he stayed out of everything else. He was fading his own presence in Family affairs, preparing for a future life of leisure... over half a year later.

Transmigration Year 35, March.

[Ding! Congratulations to the Host on the birth of your 498th child. Spiritual Root: Grade 7. Reward: Special tier 2 top grade Medicinal Pill, foundation establishment pill *1.]

Calculating by pregnancy time, this child's mother was the 'Sect Flower' Junior Sister from the Red Pine Sect's beauty pageant last year.

After the Junior Sister became pregnant, she was sent back to the Red Pine Sect to rest. Liu Xuan only received the System notification and didn't go back to witness the birth.

Since obtaining the True Dragon Essence Blood, Liu Xuan had a child born roughly every ten days. After a few years, he had nearly two hundred more children. He had long since become numb to it; seeing them all together when he returned to the Sect once in a while was the same.

According to the pregnancy log kept by Da Shuang and Xiao Shuang, his five-hundredth child would be born in half a month. The child's mother was Li Man.

Since nothing much was happening, Liu Xuan planned to head back in a few days to take a look. It was the five-hundredth child, after all; there had to be some sense of occasion.

Since the birth of his four-hundredth child, De Yang, over two years ago, Liu Xuan had fathered 89 children himself, while the other 9 were grandchildren born to his second-generation playboy sons.

As his sons and daughters grew older and more numerous, the number of third-generation grandchildren born to the second generation would only increase. He estimated that by the time the fourth generation was born, his own rate of fathering children wouldn't be able to keep up with the birth rate of his grandchildren.

This was fine too. In any case, most of those who chose to have children were playboys with no talent. Although the cultivation bonus from multiple generations would diminish, quantity could make up for it. Aside from providing some resources, he didn't need to spend much energy on their upbringing; it was essentially free benefits.

Speaking of grandchildren, aside from the eldest grandson Liu Yifan, Liu Xuan hadn't really seen any of them. He would have them all brought over for a look during this trip back.